Kalkhoff breaks school record in Ames

Newton freshman Grace Coen runs at the front of the pack during the 3,000-meter run at the Jim Duea Track Meet in Ames on Tuesday. Coen finished third in the event and placed in three individual and relay events overall.

Caption

(Shane Lucas/Daily News)

Newton sophomore Sarah Kalkhoff launches the discus during Jin Duea Track Meet at Ames High School on Tuesday. Kalkhoff finished second in the event and set a school record with a throw of 126-10.5.

By Dustin Turner Daily News Sports Writer

The Newton girls track team traveled to Ames on Tuesday to compete in the 2013 Jim Duea Classic. Despite finishing sixth out of the eight teams competing, several of the girls were able to prove their worth against some of the best competitors in the state.

Grace Coen was the most notable of the finishers on the track for the Cardinals. Her freshman season continues to impress. She finished third in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 10:45.10. Coen also took third place in the 800, finishing less than three seconds behind the first-place finisher with a time of 2:20.13.

Additionally, Coen anchored the Cardinals’ fourth-place 800 sprint medley team that finished .04 seconds behind third-place West Des Moines Valley. Also on that relay team were Kacy Cazett, Taylor Graff and Leela Spencer.

Some other Cardinal performances on the track included Amber Karsten’s sixth place finish in the 200-meter dash. Her time of 28.05 put her less than a second behind the fourth-place finisher. Karsten also competed in the Cardinals’ 4x400 team that finished fifth and the 4x100 relay team that finished in sixth place at 54 seconds flat, but that team was only 1.27 seconds out of second place Johnston. Also on that team were Cazett, Spencer and Taylor Fisher.

Anna Barr took fourth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:15.18. She was on the distance medley relay team as well along with Cazett, Brooke Henning and Josie Thurmond. That team finished in sixth place with a time of 4:51.56. Barr also competed for the Cardinals in the high jump, finishing 10th with a jump of 4 feet, 6 inches.

Sydney Jenkins finished fourth in the 400 with a time of 1:01.96. That time was .12 seconds behind third place finisher Elisa Sargent of Ames. Jenkins, along with Karsten, Fisher and Alexis DesPlanque were on the Cardinals’ fifth place 4x400 team with a time of 4:20.08. DesPlanque, Karsten, Jenkins and Hailey Coy represented the Cardinals in the 4x800 team that placed fourth with a time of 10:11.40.

In the throwing events, particularly in the shot put, the Cardinals showed they have the ability to compete with almost anybody in the region. Michaela Bleeker won the event with a throw of 35-06. Behind her in second was teammate Madison Bagnall, with a throw of 34-03. In the discus, Sarah Kalkhoff finished second with a throw of 126-10.5, breaking a school record.

“I was pleased with our efforts tonight at Ames,” coach Rachel Tomas said. “This is always one of our toughest meets of the season. I thought the girls competed well against the competition, and almost everyone on the team had an improvement in performance. Our throwers continue to do a fantastic job for the team. Sarah Kalkhoff had a great discus throw to break a school record, and Michaela Bleeker was our only varsity event winner in the shot put.”

The Cardinals are scheduled to compete next on Thursday at H. A. Lynn Field.